I don't mind telling you I was nervous. I'm a big fan of the Alien films
but at the end of ALIEN³, Ripley (Sigourney
Weaver: ALIEN [all], GHOSTBUSTERS [all]) was very dead. She fell in a pool of
molten metal (like the T1000 in TERMINATOR
2) so when I heard there was going to be a sequel and Ripley
was back, I was scared. I was scared that a really good franchise was
going to be ruined by a lame "it was all a dream" scam, or worse.
Please, somebody hold me!

The story begins on board the Auriga, a United Systems
Military medical research vessel. A Ripley-like embryo is being grown
in a lab. It reaches maturity and cloned Ripley is placed on the operating
table. The scientists aren't so interested in her as they are in
the parasite growing inside her: an alien queen. They remove the queen
and contemplate terminating "the host" but Dr. Gediman (Brad
Dourif: the voice of Chucky in all the CHILD'S
PLAY movies, DEATH MACHINE, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Two Towers)
convinces his superior, Dr. Wren (J.E. Freeman:
COPYCAT, PATRIOT GAMES) that she's worth saving.

TRYING TO CLONE FROM THE DNA IN BLOOD CELLS, WHICH HAVE NO MITOCHONDRIAL CONTAINING NUCLEUS, WASN'T EASY.

Now I felt
a little better. This is NOT Ripley (even
though I'll refer to her as Ripley from here on), this is
a clone of Ripley, made from cells taken from a blood sample taken shortly
before her death in the last movie. Apparently cells from the parasite
alien were in her blood by then as well so they grew them together. Now
a clone would normally be an infant, but the idea of some kind of rapid
growth tech is not outside the realm so all is well. But, a clone is a
genetic copy in the same sense a twin is a copy. This Ripley may look
identical but she's a different person with her own mind and memories.

Except that's not quite right. This Ripley, it turns out, does have most of the memories
of the original. Now, normally that would be a blatant science mistake
that would bother me here, but it didn't because the scientists in
the movie are as surprised by this development as me. They shrug their
shoulders and admit they don't know how it happened. Now that's
the way to handle a scientific plot point! The way screenwriters always
go wrong is with their lame attempts to explain science. The key is: don't
try. "It just happened. We don't know why," is perfectly
acceptable.

Memories are the least of Ripley's abilities. It turns out that part of the
alien parasite's process of using another creature as a host involves
changes on a genetic level, especially when the parasite is destined to
be a queen. Ripley's DNA has been altered and the clone is strong,
fast and predatory. She also seems tuned in to some kind of communication-at-a-distance
with the alien queen, who is currently laying eggs while being closely
observed by the science staff.

BUT WE FINALLY GOT A RIPLEY: BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

Not everyone is happy with number 8's odd abilities (Ripley has a number 8 tattoo on her arm, but we don't find out why until later). General Perez (Dan Hedaya: THE ADDAMS FAMILY) wants Ripley terminated but once again the scientists win the argument.
The General dismisses the subject, being much more concerned about the
arrival time of an important shipment.

HA! HA! No. 8 WAS RIGHT! THE QUEEN BRED AND NOW I'M GONNA DIE! IS THERE EGG ON MY FACE OR WHAT?

The cargo being delivered is people. Asleep in cryotubes, these unfortunate souls
are wheeled into the medical section, off limits to civilians like the
Betty's crew. Elgyn gets paid for the delivery and asks his buddy
General Perez if they can stay for a few days to stock up on supplies
and make a few repairs.

The scientists continue to study Ripley but ignore her warnings about the queen. ("She'll
breed. You'll die.") The crew of the Betty has a very
cool first meeting with Ripley on a basketball court and Call noticeably
reacts to Ripley's name. Afterwards she sneaks in to Ripley's
cell and is stunned to find the queen has already been removed. She has
a knife and offers to "end Ripley's suffering". In another
excellent scene Call suddenly realizes the knife is no protection from
the much stronger Ripley, who reacts to Call's offer by asking, "What
makes you think I'd let you do that?" There is a definite predator
playing with its prey vibe as the much taller Ripley takes Call's
face in her hands and offers to end her suffering.

The only thing that will end my suffering is a

!!!SCIENCE
MOMENT!!!: This movie has its problems, like the fact that this is supposed to be
200 years after Ripley died in the last movie (which
was already at least 150 years in our future) and yet there has
been no noticeable change in technology. Think about where technology
was in the year 1653 compared to today and youll see what I mean.
Worst of all are inconsistencies within its own technology.
We see one character confined to a wheelchair in a culture that's
been building humanoid robots for centuries. Better-than-the-real-thing
prosthetics should be easy for these people.

But the sheer Nazi-like brutality of the scientists (you know
what the "cargo" was for, and they didn't even bother to
sedate them!) and the very cool super-Ripley puts me in a generous
mood. I give ALIEN: RESURRECTION three shriek girls.

E.C. McMullen Jr. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

IN OTHER BOOKSE.C. McMullen Jr.'s
short story
CEDO LOOKED LIKE PEOPLE
in the anthologyFEAR THE REAPER
"This Ray Bradbury-esque is one of the most memorable and one of the more original stories I've read in a long time."
- Amazon Review